Autumn is one of my favourite seasons, it is the time for pumpkins, Day of the Dead, nice baking, etc. It makes me feel cosy and nostalgic and it always makes me want to cook more. During this time I usually try to master my baking skills, I guess is only an excuse to cook and eat more!

Today I am sharing with you a nice recipe that I decided to try, I bought this pumpkin last week in Alexandra Palace Farmer’s Market and my first thought was to make pumpkin empanadas, but then I thought to give a galette a try, it seems that it is the food fashion at the moment, everybody has a version of them, so I thought, why not! For this recipe I decided to buy a ready made shortcrust pastry, as it is a quite laborious recipe, then I roasted the pumpkin in the oven first, then I blistered a Poblano pepper on the hob and I made a pumpkin, fresh coriander, poblano and jalapeño salsa for the base, then I added some goat cheese and placed them in the oven, with a little bit of an egg wash on top and wow! they were so good!

So I hope you like this recipe, it is takes a bit more time, but the result is worth it.

Makes 3

Prep 30 min

Cook 40 min

Ingredients

For the galettes

Red Kuri or Lakota pumpkin cut in wedges

1 Shortcrust pastry sheet

50 gr soft goat cheese

1 fresg Poblano pepper blistered

10 gr fresh coriander

3 tbsp Pepita (pumpkin seed) salsa

For the Pepita (pumpkin seed) salsa

(This recipe is based on my friend Nicole’s recipe from Fland & Apple Pie I slightly changed the ingredients to suit this recipe)

1 fresh jalapeño or 1 fresh serrano pepper

½ cup vegetable oil*

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/3 cups raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas*)

Generous handful of coriander (about 1 cup chopped)

Blistered Poblano strips

3 tbsp canola oil

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp tahini

1 egg

Method

To make the Pepita (pumpkin seeds) salsa

Heat a frying pan and add the pumpkin seeds. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly until seeds begin to pop. The seeds will also turn a golden brown colour. Remove from heat.

Blend on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes until smooth and keep aside.

To bake the pumpkin

Heat the oven to 200 degrees or 180 degrees fan assisted

Wash and cut the pumpkin into wedges. Place the wedges on a baking tray.

Pour some canola oil, salt and pepper. Place the tray in the oven and bake for around 20 min.

Once soft, take them out of the oven and set aside.

To blister the Poblano pepper

Place the whole poblano pepper on a hob burner and keep turning it until all the skin has blackened. Place it inside a plastic bad and leave it for 10 min, Remove it from the bag, take stem and seeds off and cut it into strip. Leave aside.

To make the galettes

Heat the oven to 200 degrees or 180 fan assisted

Take the shortcrust pastry sheet out of the fridge 30 min before making the galettes. Once the pastry has chilled, cut three circles using a bowl.

Prepare a baking tray with some parchment paper and place the shortcrust pastry circles on the baking tray.

Then, using a spoon, spread one tbsp of the pumpkin salsa.

Place some pumpkin wedges, then some poblano strips and lastly some goat cheese.

Gently fold the pastry over the pumpkin, pleating to hold it in (sloppy is fine). Beat the egg in a bowl. Brush pastry generously the egg using a baking brush.